Archives for October 2015

The Brainwavz Hengja headphone desk hanger is currently on sale for $14 by Brainwavz Audio, with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so free 2-day shipping if a Prime member… These average 4.8 out of 5 based on 99 customer reviews… They also have five gallery close-up pictures to get you a feel of how they’d look in the “real world” – as much as “real world” as a professional photo-shoot can be 🙂

If you are interested in the Audio Technica AT-PHA10 portable headphone amplifier (as in PHA in the model name), you don’t have to import it all the way from Japan. Some retailers have taken advantage of the “Amazon fulfillment” service, so they shipped their inventory to Amazon’s USA warehouses. So when you buy it, it ships like any other item from an Amazon USA warehouses.

The remaining Radio Shack stores have some Comply foam tips on clearance. Availability depends on a store by store basis. You can check by zip-code on their website but that still may not be accurate. They have 3pks for $4, for the S-100, S-200, S-400 and S-500 models. Again, this is very YMMV!

The Fiio X1 digital audio player is expanding its reach with two new color-schemes, and they are both in-stock for their regular price of $100 by various sellers at Amazon (check the detailed list of sellers for more specifics). The two new colors are Blue or Black. This is the actual color of the device, not a shell/skin.

If you are not mesmerized by the two new colors, you can get the previous colors in Open-Box condition for $86 with free shipping by “All About Office” (99%) through Amazon.com, in either the Silver or the Gold. These ship from “All About Office”, so no Prime 2-day shipping.

The new condition price of the Hifiman HE-1000 flagship headphones is $3000, but if you are comfortable with open-box flagship, you can get them in that condition for $2550 from Razor Dog Audio (price at the bottom of that long page). The description states they had 25 hours burn-in, they were a customer return, and have full warranty. These are open-back planar-magnetics.

The closed-back over-ear SoundMAGIC HP150 are now down to $170 with free shipping, in new condition, offered at this price by Tinbel and Quantum Wireless, with the order fulfilled by Amazon, so it ships from their warehouses, and it is eligible for Prime shipping, and you deal with their customer service in case of issues.

The V-MODA XS On-Ears, in the white-silver color-scheme, are on sale, in new condition, for $140 with free shipping, with a limit of one per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. The black color scheme goes for more. Together they average 4.4 out of 5 based on 183 customer reviews.

Amazon’s own shopping cart has procured “bundle technology”. With this bundle centered on the Sennheiser HD600, you pay $400 and receive the HD600 headphones in new condition, along with a pair of M-Audio AV32 Professional Studio Monitor Speakers, and the Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone. The speakers go for $100 on their own, while the Yeti (Sting not included!) goes for $120. No coupons and no rebates, just add to the shopping cart, and all will be added with the price adjusted.

The black/silver color scheme of the Pioneer HDJ-2000 DJ headphones are now down to $122 with free shipping at Adorama. I don’t know how many of you would be willing to deal with the hassle of a $7 mail-in rebate, but if you are willing, it has a $7 MIR (exp. 11/7/15) on it, bringing it down to $115 after MIR.

NOTE: Pioneer has released a Mark II version of this headphone, and it currently goes for much more being a brand new release. The black version goes for $341, while the black/silver goes for $347.

Bundles week continues, now with a headphone and turntable “combo meal”. Adorama is offering the white Audio Technica M50x headphones bundled with the TEAC TN-100 Belt-Drive Turntable for $200 with free expedited shipping. The TEAC is available in two colors, and so is the bundle sale, you can get this combo with either the red turntable or the black turntable. The turntable goes for $150 on its own. It has USB, Line, and Phono outputs.

The Beyerdynamic DX160IE in-ears are currently on sale for around $72 by marketplace sellers at Amazon.com. The sellers offering them in this price ballpark are 6ave and In-Ear-Com. Both are fulfilled by Amazon, so they are eligible for Prime shipping. The in-ears average 3.3 out of 5 based on 56 customer reviews.

Headphones big and small make their way to the eBay Deals. Right now eBay seller “AutoCareDepot” (98%) is offering the JBL J22 earphones for $10 with free shipping, in new condition, in either the black color scheme or the white color scheme. Limit of 50 per color per customer. These are straight up earphones, no mic/remote. A pouch is included.

The Monoprice 10243 over-ear closed-back headphones (not to be confused with the blockbuster 8323 model) are currently on sale for $20 by marketplace sellers with the orders fulfilled by Amazon, which means free 2-day shipping for Prime members. These only have three customer reviews, so perhaps they are better suited for the curious and the explorers 🙂

Another opportunity to scoop them up at a good price. The good old AKG K240 semi-open over-ear headphones are on sale again, going for $50 with free expedited shipping at B&H Photo. Offer ends 11/2/15 or earlier if sold-out.

These average 4.3 out of 5 based on 690 customer reviews at amazon.com where they also have 91 questions answered.

If you just need a headphone pouch and nothing else, the Senal headphone pouch is going for $10 with free shipping at B&H Photo. It fits their own Senal headphones, but also other headphones of similar (or smaller) size. Check the dimensions in the “Specs” tab and the 29 customer reviews for more on fit and usage.

A new studio headphone is released, now in-stock and ready to get to your ears for $150 with free expedited shipping at B&H Photo. These are closed-back over-ears with detachable cable and replaceable ear cushions and 40mm drivers.

These are above in terms of price and model number to the well-received Senal SMH-1000, which at the moment go for $90, or $110 in a bang for the buck bundle that includes the Fiio E6, an extra set of sheepskin leather earpads, a headphone pouch, and a headphone holder. The Fiio E6 alone goes for $20+.

The Hifiman RE-400i in-ears (lower case “i” for mic/remote) is currently on sale for $55~ with free shipping by BlinQ thru Amazon. This ships directly from BlinQ so it is not eligible for Prime shipping benefits.

You are not going to find flagship headphones at A4C, but coupon code WRAPITUP will get you 20% off everything they carry, and everything gets free shipping. You will typically find older models and mostly sub-$100 items. Check their website, especially the Audio category to see what they have.

The nice Shure Headphone Carrying Pouch, model HPACP1, is now down to $6 at Amazon.com by Amazon actual. Not to jinx it, but it’s not part of the Add-On program as of the time of writing, so if you are a Prime member, you can get just one of these and get free 2-day shipping. Non-Prime members have the usual $35+ free super saver shipping.

Limit 30 pouches per customer. This fits the various Shure studio and DJ headphones listed over there, and any other headphone with similar or smaller size. This is a soft pouch, so it won’t protect against rough treatment, but it can keep dust and coffee drops and such away. I’ve been using one for 2+ years and it’s holding up very very well. I will post a review on it once I go into a “writing spree”.

If you are an Amazon shopper, and want to get the new V-Moda Crossfade Wireless (bluetooth) over-ear headphones, which are based on the closed-back over-ear M100s, they are now available for purchase at Amazon by Amazon actual for $310. The shipping estimate is not set yet, it has the mysterious “Temporarily out of stock”.

With the new ones occupying the “Beats Studio” price range ($300ish), the Crossfade M100s are now down to $235 in the “Shadow” color-scheme.

The closed-back Audio-Technica ATH-WS99, part of their unapologetically Bassy line-up are currently on sale for $100 with free shipping at NewEgg Flash, their attempt at a Groupon-like service. Limit 30 per customer.

Or if you are comfortable with used, they are available in “Used – Good” condition for $70 by Amazon Warehouse Deals.

We already mentioned the M70x + DT-1350 bundle, but now you have another option centered around the Beyerdynamic DT-1350. You can get it bundled with the Zoom Q4 Handy Video Recorder, together for $330 with free shipping at Adorama.com.

This is turning into an unofficial bundles week. This time the pairing are headphones + mic. The AKG K 240 Mark II Headphones are bundled together with the Audio-Technica AT2020 USB+ Cardioid Condenser (USB Mic as the model name suggests) for $180 with free shipping from Adorama.com.

In this post, we round up some of the latest Massdrop offers that are fully unlocked (= available at their lowest possible price during this particular offer). The expiration date varies, check their website for specifics. Only fully unlocked items are mentioned below. I add shipping to the total – except when I forget 🙂

Massdrop O2+ODAC (revB) DAC/Amplifier for $200

MEE Audio Grab Bag for $28 (receive one from six random choices)

CEntrance DACport Slim (Massdrop Exclusive) for $100

Grace Design x Massdrop m9XX DAC/Amp for $500

AKG K267 Tiesto DJ Headphones for $130

Firestone Audio Headphone Stand for $40

As a reminder, everyone can join their buying club, it is free to join, but one must needs be logged in to see the offers. Something to do with the whole MAP thing.

The 64GB Astell & Kern AK Jr digital audio player is bundled with a 64GB Sandisk Ultra microSDXC memory card, all together for $380 with free shipping at Adorama.com. No coupons, no rebates needed. It’s a bundle sale!

That tiny little “i” makes a world of difference if you want a button/mic on your headphones. The “Sennheiser PX 100-II i” (with 3-button remote/mic with the MFi blessings) is currently on sale for $50 with free shipping with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon itself. They average 4.4 out of 5 based on 160+ customer reviews.

For a limited time, Adorama has a Flash Sale promotion. They are bundling TWO headphones together, both new condition with USA warranty, the Beyerdynamic DT-1350 On-Ears and the Audio Technica M70x Over-Ears. Both are closed back. The flash sale price is $380 total for both of them at the Adorama website.

If you want both headphones, or if you want one of the two (and can use the other one as a Gift or trade/sell), this is, as Larry David likes to say, pretty-pretty-pretty good!

Good for Tuesday Oct-27-2015 only, coupon OCT15 gets you 15% off almost everything at Monoprice.com, which includes their various over/on-ear headphones and earphones, along with their Desktop Headphone DAC/amp (model 11567). The pictures of the back show the various inputs and outputs (Pre Out, Line Out, Aux In RCAs) along with USB IN and Gain flip switch. The front has the headphone out, the volume control, and a flip-switch for USB-IN or AUX-IN.

Monoprice expanded their arsenal with a Hybrid Tube amp with Bluetooth (model #13194), unfortunately it is currently out of stock and cannot be ordered, so you cannot take advantage of this 15% off coupon 🙁 But fear not future-wise, Monoprice has coupon promotions on a regular basis.